Farms, Ancient Burial Mounds, and Peaceful Autumn Japanese Countryside: Kibi Plain Cycling

Kibiji or the Kibi Plain is a picturesque rural flatland between Okayama City and Soja that was once part of the ancient Kibi Kingdom and is dotted with rice fields, shrines, temples, and burial mounds. I cycled the popular 17 kilometer Kibiji Cycling Route between Soja Station and Bizen-Ichinomiya Station in autumn. Along the way, I visited (or attempted to visit) those points of interest, although some of them were closed off or not recorded on camera. Unfortunately, I also didn’t record the final stretch between Kibitsuhiko Shrine and Bizen-Ichinomiya Station.

Bike was a rental bike, rented from Araki Rent-a-cycle at Soja Station and returned to Uedo Rent-a-cycle at Bizen-Ichinomiya Station.

I cleaned up the video as much as possible, but unfortunately it is still raw POV footage as an ordinary tourist, so apologies for the visible hands and phone and the awkward camera angle.

Date: 30 November 2024

Chapters:
00:00:00 Train ride from Okayama to Soja (JR Kibi Line)
00:00:28 Soja Station
00:07:46 Start of Kibiji Cycling Route
00:08:48 Fields and plantations
00:09:49 Cabbage harvest
00:10:34 More cabbage
00:14:13 Rice fields
00:14:52 Rice straw bundles
00:20:23 Five-Storied Pagoda of Bitchu Kokubun-ji Temple
00:22:01 Komori-zuka Burial Mound
00:29:05 Map of Tsukuriyama burial mounds
00:29:51 Tsukuriyama No. 4 Tomb
00:30:46 Tsukuriyama No. 5 Tomb (Senzoku Kofun)
00:31:17 Detour through residential area to visit Tsukuriyama Burial Mound
00:33:16 Tsukuriyama Burial Mound is closed off for maintenance 😭
00:33:56 View of Tsukuriyama Burial Mound from outside
00:35:13 Rejoined Kibiji Cycling Route
00:35:47 Long stretch alongside rice fields and waterway
00:42:53 Detour to visit Tatetsuki Burial Mound (no video)
00:45:29 Crossing the bridge across Ashimori River
00:46:47 Rejoined Kibiji Cycling Route
00:47:33 More rice fields
00:56:51 In front of Kibitsu Shrine
00:59:55 Another waterway
01:03:01 Kibitsuhiko Shrine